Automaker EV Platforms

voltage · battery structure · zonal E/E · compute

14 automakers, more than 40 platform names, and three decisions that separate them. Chinese platforms lead on voltage and in-house silicon; Western platforms are catching up one generation at a time.

Dot matrix of platform traits in production by automaker in late 2026. Columns are 800-volt or higher architecture, zonal or centralized E/E architecture, and an in-house ADAS chip. Chinese automakers BYD, Geely, NIO, XPENG and SAIC all have 800 V or higher and zonal or central E/E in production; NIO and XPENG also ship their own ADAS chips, with BYD and Geely announced. Tesla has all three. Rivian has zonal E/E but a 400 V platform, with its own chip announced. GM, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Hyundai have 800 V in production; Mercedes-Benz and BMW also have zonal E/E. Ford and Stellantis have the most still on next-generation platforms. PLATFORM TRAITS IN PRODUCTION BY AUTOMAKER, LATE 2026 800 V+ Zonal E/E Own ADAS chip BYD Geely NIO XPENG SAIC Tesla Rivian GM Ford Volkswagen Mercedes-Benz BMW Stellantis Hyundai in production announced, next platform China US, Europe Korea
Automakers
14
Top voltage
1,000 V (BYD)
Own ADAS chips
Tesla, NIO, XPENG
Hub
Systems

Finding

Platform choices now split along voltage, battery structure and E/E architecture, and Chinese automakers made all three moves first

BYD's Super e-Platform runs at 1,000 V and charges at up to 1 MW; NIO's NT3 runs at 900 V; XPENG has shipped 800 V silicon carbide on every SEPA 2.0 model since the G6. Among Western automakers only Tesla, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have zonal E/E in volume production, and only Tesla designs its own driving computer.

Most automakers run two or three platforms at once: a first-generation dedicated EV base (MEB, E-GMP, Ultium, GE1), a premium 800 V branch (PPE, Neue Klasse, MMA) and a software-defined successor that is still one to two years out (SSP, Universal EV Platform, IMA). The three fixed choices that define each are explained on the EV Platforms page: voltage class, battery structure (modules, cell-to-pack, or cell-to-body), and electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture, from dozens of distributed controllers down to a few zonal controllers and a central computer.

Chinese platforms got there first because their development cycles run 18 to 24 months against four to five years at legacy Western automakers, and because their suppliers (CATL, BYD FinDreams, Horizon Robotics, Huawei) sell the pieces off the shelf. Western automakers are now buying that speed: Volkswagen licensed Rivian's zonal architecture through a joint venture and co-develops its China E/E architecture with XPENG.

Compare

Automaker platforms compared

One row per automaker. Model lines are kept brief; model-level specs live in the EV Platform Index.

Automaker EV platforms
AutomakerPlatformsVoltageBattery structureE/E and compute
BYDe-Platform 3.0, 3.0 Evo, Super e-Platform; e4 (Yangwang), e3 (Denza)Up to 1,000 VBlade LFP, cell-to-bodyXuanji central E/E; God's Eye ADAS on NVIDIA and Horizon chips
GeelySEA (Zeekr, smart, Lotus, Polestar 4, Volvo EX30), GEA, SPA2, CMA400 V and 800 VCell-to-pack LFP and NMC (Golden Brick, Aegis)Central compute; SiEngine chips through an affiliate
NIONT2, NT3 (NIO, ONVO), Firefly400 V to 900 VSwappable packs, battery as a serviceAdam (four NVIDIA Orin X); Shenji NX9031 in-house
XPENGSEPA 2.0 (Fuyao), Edward legacy800 V silicon carbideCell-integrated body (G6)X-EEA 3.0; Turing in-house AI chip
SAICMSP (MG), Nebula (IM Motors)400 V and 800 VCell-to-pack and cell-to-bodyCentral computing on IM models
TeslaModel 3/Y, Cybertruck, Semi, Cybercab (unboxed)400 V; 800 V Cybertruck; about 1,000 V SemiStructural pack, 4680 and 2170 cellsAI4 in-house computer; 48 V Etherloop on Cybertruck
RivianR1 Gen 2, R2400 V classModule packs; cell-to-pack on R2Zonal, seven ECUs; licensed to VW joint venture
General MotorsUltium (BEV3, BT1)400 V; 800 V class on trucksPouch modules; LFP and LMR prismatic nextCentralized computing planned
FordGE1 (Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit), Universal EV Platform400 V classLFP prismatic structural pack nextNew zonal architecture with the Universal EV Platform
VolkswagenMEB, MEB+, PPE (Porsche, Audi), SSP next400 V MEB; 800 V PPEModules; unified prismatic cell nextZonal architecture from the Rivian joint venture
Mercedes-BenzEVA2, MMA (CLA), MB.EA, AMG.EA, VAN.EA400 V EVA2; 800 V MMAModules; silicon-anode options nextMB.OS with central compute
BMWNeue Klasse, CLAR (iX, i7)800 V Neue KlasseGen6 cylindrical cells, cell-to-packFour central computers (Heart of Joy and others)
StellantisSTLA Small, Medium, Large, Frame400 V; 800 V on STLA LargeModule packsSTLA Brain and SmartCockpit
Hyundai Motor GroupE-GMP, eM and eS (IMA)800 V E-GMPModule packs; cell-to-pack nextPleos software-defined platform next

Terms

What the columns mean

Platform terms
TermMeaningWhy it matters
800 V classBattery and power electronics running at roughly 600 to 900 V instead of 300 to 450 VHalves current for the same power: faster charging, thinner cables, smaller motors
Cell-to-packCells installed directly in the pack with no intermediate modulesMore energy per liter and fewer parts
Cell-to-bodyPack lid is the cabin floor; the pack carries body loadsLower weight and cost; harder to repair
Zonal E/EControllers grouped by location in the car, linked to a central computer by EthernetLess wiring, fewer ECUs, deeper OTA updates
In-house ADAS chipAutomaker-designed driving computer siliconControl of cost, power draw and the autonomy roadmap

Sources

Sources and scope

Scope
Automaker EV Platforms
Sources
Automaker disclosures and investor presentations; ElectronsX EV Platform Index
Updated
October 2026